Preytorien

I religiously use RiverCast for evaluating whether the river near me is suitable/safe for wading. It polls data from USGS streamflow gauges. It's very handy and the developer is easy to get in touch with to assist. Dark Sky is one of the best apps I've ever used. Gives you very accurate forecasts.

I remember going to the store to "test" out the GX2 when it first came out. I was moderately impressed due to the fact I had always handled the original Ugly Stik and thought they felt cheap, the GX2 felt a little better. That said, I never approached it thinking I would be overly impressed. The Ugly Stik might be on the lower end of things in terms of price and even some on the build, but the thing is built to be bulletproof and applicable in almost every waters for any fish. BrackishBassin puts his through the ringer I'm sure and it comes back asking for more. I'd say that's a pretty good rod, but not likely something I'm going to approach yet.

I seem to have my personal technique down pat. First, I make a long, usually wildly inaccurate cast. It'll usually end up in the trees, now I've got them right where I want them. Then I spend the better part of 30 or so minutes complaining, scampering around like a drunk juvenile squirrel trying to get my lure back. When I finally get it back, I start back to fishing, albeit with a different outlook on life. After that, those little 8-inch dinks I always catch don't seem so bad.....

That's a very good technique. You're thinking along the right lines when you want to drag it, then drop it in a hole. You can get bit pretty well like that. You can really drag almost anything like that - worm, fluke, creature bait, etc. Good luck!

Green laser pointer - scares annoying geese away Picaridin bug repellent .380 Walther PPK

In this particular river, specifically where I’m fishing, about 90% of the bottom is covered in rocks and boulders, the smallest being baseball sized. Initially when I started fishing here I had high hopes for Ned Rigs and tubes but found I was spending all my time getting un-stuck. Even a Senni is a gamble because it works well as long as you keep your focus and never let it get too deep or it’s back to spending time freeing up. I’m limited by either topwater or VERY shallow cranks (1-2ft) - and those are the ones that didn’t do any good

Ho-lee-cow! literally a cow!

I’ve been a diehard Costa fan for the past many years, but for a gift late last year I received the Prizm Shallow Water Fishing Lenses for my normally-cycling-specific Oakley M2’s. I had my first large outing today and I have to say the optics are daggum impressive, dare I say better than my Costa’s. I can’t believe I wrote that. But man they’re good. I would suggest them for a first time buyer. What do you think? Am I sacreligious?

I’ve spent so much of my time studying the habits of largemouth bass in static bodies of water, and their seasonal habits that I rarely make the same study of smallmouth in my local small river. Shame I know. That said, I got out wading this morning in the river. Water temps in the mid-60’s, somewhat clear water, not moving too fast, and if it weren’t for a school of particularly aggressive rock bass I would’ve been skunked. Where are the smallies in this situation at this time of year and what are they doing?

I ordered the Megabass Grand Siglett this winter. I had previous luck with the Duo Realis Shinmushi but had durability issues. The holding screws for the body literally worked themselves out and the dang thing came apart mid-cast. But looking at the Siglett, it looks more durable. I only question its hook, I may replace it with a treble. Otherwise, I bought a Teckel Sprinker early spring this year and I'm anxious to use it. But I like the looks (and reviews) of the Booyah Toad Runner, so I may end up with one of those too. I just don't know how well I'll like it's nearly 1oz weight. Any thoughts on that?

As mentioned above, I really don't know of any other manufacturers' baits that even come close to the durability of Z-Man. They have more colors now of the TRD which is nice. I really haven't found a color that doesn't work and no one else compares to durability. I stopped my search long ago. I catch fish with them and they don't wear out quickly. What's not to love?

I agree, Mepps is hard to beat. Similarly the Blue Fox Vibrax work well. I just simply don't prefer the Rooster Tails as they're not as easy to "feel" the blade engage and thus know you're working it the right speed. It just feels dead on the end of the line. That's not to say I've never caught fish with them, I just like that solid vibration at the end of my line knowing that I'm adequately engaging the blade.

I bought an Exage last year and have had the end of last year and the season this year to use it. Mine's a Medium/Fast spinning rod paired with a Shimano Sustain - using YGK Soul X-8 braid. This is my go-to all around rig for spinning. Seems to handle everything well, and I have to say I'm impressed. I bought it to replace a broken Clarus, which I did like, but this one seems to be quite a bit better rod. It's light and sensitive, and although reel seat preferences change from user to user I happen to like it quite a bit. I know Shimano and G. Loomis are one, and this reminds me a lot of the more expensive cousin, the E6X that I've handled quite a bit at our local Cabelas. I'm sure there are differences, but it *feels* a lot like it.

That segwayed into another question, that being if a fish had no lip holes, not considering being hooked in its mouth or foul hooking, does that mean it’s likely to have never been caught? But the likelihood of being hooked elsewhere further complicated my question

Took a look and much to my wondering eyes......almost all BPS brand items! Wow, who woulda' thunk it?? All in jest, some decent deals. I just grow weary of the only main items being on sale at BPS is their in-house brands. I'm not knocking their quality, the PQ has a cult following, but c'mon guys, nearly the entire Black Friday and Spring Classic ad was house brands.

Often after a rowdy fight with an unruly bass, they'll end up with a hole in their lip where the fight literally tore it. I've even caught bass with pre-existing holes. Do those ever grow back shut?

I agree, this was my first truly serious rod, it was and still is an excellent rod. I have absolutely zero complaints.

There's a lake a bit north of me here in Central IN, and I've only ever fished there for musky, however folks tell me that the bass fishing is great during the summer months. However I'm not sure how to fish it. This lake doesn't have the shallow flats you're seeing, the bank drops off to about 6-8ft immediately. I want to catch the bass, not the musky. So I'm not sure how to go about it.

I agree with the above. I've tried multiple varying brands of swimbaits, and although I've settled on another brand I personally like better, the same holds true - just using these baits means you'll only get 3-4 fish out of them, tops. It's an unfortunate byproduct of their action and abilities. I've found that using Owner Twistlock hooks seems to help a bit, and also using Gambler Hollow Points helps and simultaneously helps it go through the weeds. But at the end of the day - I lose em' - and there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it. I just try to find them on sale/clearance and stock up when the time comes.

That's a pretty light rod. I would stay around the 4-6lb test line. If you use braid you can actually use something along the lines of a 10lb test braid. It won't have nearly the twist issues that mono or fluorocarbon will. I would highly suggest going to braid on your spinning reel, very light braid. This time of year (and this year's no exception) I have immense success with just a plain old Blue Fox Vibrax or Mepps #3 spinner with a gold blade. I can tell you from the first couple years' experience, those spinners will twist up a line in a heartbeat.

https://www.laserpointerpro.com/250mw-532nm-flashlight-style-302-type-green-laser-pointer-pen-with-18650-battery-p-462.html

I stand by my statement! HA

I often find when the water's high it's also fast, which dramatically reduces both WHAT lures I can use, and how effective they are. In almost every case it's just a good time to stay in the man-cave, reorganize, clean, and prep for better conditions.

Very annoying, and I can't figure out why they're there. I get the whole line through the hole spooling thing, but typically when I go and do that, the spool essentially backlashes itself and I end up having to manage the spool in the box. All because I'm too cheap to buy a spooling station.

I was able to get out a little bit last night for some fishing......and testing. I can confirm if you're looking to get the geese out of your way while you're fishing, the green laser definitely works. Even in broad daylight the laser was so effective that I essentially "herded" about 4 of them from a position about 25 feet from me to completely across the lake, and they did it very quickly. The laser absolutely freaks them out. According to our DNR recommendations the laser usually doesn't scare them off once and do the trick the rest of the year, you have to keep harassing them (which is legal in our state), and maybe they'll reconsider nesting or living on that body of water, but it's pretty unlikely. The laser is only to get them out of my way while I'm fishing so I don't have to constantly watch my back. But for the record, the green laser is highly effective.